The Saltwater Room
by littlebluewhalen
Summary: A lengthy one-shot that centers around Ochaco in her senior year at UA. Focuses on little snippets of her life at different points in time, though it eventually all results in our favorite anti-gravity quirk wielder falling a little too hard and a little too fast for someone she never expected. KatsukixOchaco with mentions of DekuxOchaco. Please read the first Author's Note!


**A/N: Warning! T** **his fic will be somewhat raunchy; mentions of sex and descriptions of making out. In this fic, the gang are in their last year of high school, so they're all 17/18. I wasn't sure what to rate it, so I stuck with T, since there's not actual sex in it. I dunno, man.**

 **Anyway! I literally have no idea why I ship Bakugou and Uraraka. I have an issue, I'm pretty sure. They've had… maybe two scenes in the series since I've started watching/reading it? Who knows. I've always been a sucker for attracted opposites. They're not the only people I ship in the show of course, and they're not the only people I ship with each other, but who knows. They stand out to me.**

 **By the by, in this "fandom" specifically, there's been a lot of debate about names (Ochako or Ochaco, Shouto or Shoto, etc) So if I spell a name wrong, please let me know. I also flip back and forth between using first and last names, but if that's confusing, also let me know! I try to stick with the source material as much as I can, so most names will be given as "Uraraka Ochaco", since I believe in Japan the surnames usually come first. It's only flipped for us lowly English users. Just a heads up in case it causes any confusion.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **/**

Uraraka heaved a sigh of relief as she ducked around a corner, only to let out a scream as she came face to face with Iida. Her short brown hair splayed out around her as she activated her anti gravity powers and jumped to fly away from her problems, only for her friend (one of her best friends, in fact) to grab onto her leg and forcefully pull her down. She really wasn't putting up much of a fight to begin with; had she genuinely wanted to escape, she could have. She released her powers.

"Ochaco, are you okay?" Her calm friend asked, voice unwavering. Ochaco sighed and looked away, rubbing her right arm.

"No." Came the timid voice, drenched in sadness. Ochaco's grip on her own arm tightened. She _hated_ this. She absolutely hated how broken up she was over this. She hated that she was so sad and that she couldn't hide her emotions. She shook her head slightly and looked up sadly at Iida, who looked at her with empathy.

"Thank you." She said evenly. She was thanking him for not taking pity on her, for not seeing her as pathetic. For understanding her. She knew she wouldn't have to explain all of this to him, and he simply nodded.

"Come on. Midoriya should be in his training session by now. Let's go back to the dorms and get some homework done, hmm?" Iida asked, placing a hand on her shoulder and rubbing comforting circles into it. Uraraka gave him a small smile and agreed, and off they walked to the common room.

"Was it truly that bad?" Iida asked. Their homework was laid out on the table in front of them, but it had long been abandoned in favor of some ramen that Iida cooked up. Ochaco sighed.

"No, honestly, it wasn't. I'm not really embarrassed or anything, it just still hurts, you know? Even though I knew this would happen, it still sucks. Plus, I hate that I want to cry all the time. It makes me feel weak and stupid." Uraraka replied, puffing out her cheeks and furrowing her eyebrows in irritation. With a grunt, she shoved more ramen into her mouth. Iida nodded.

"Yeah, I can see that. Well, you definitely shouldn't be embarrassed. What you did took guts. It was brave, if anything. I probably would have waited until the end of the year to tell the person I hypothetically liked that I liked them." Tenya said, voice gentle and kind. He was on the couch opposite her, and he was sitting with his legs crossed, ramen resting on his right knee. He examined his best friend. She was sitting on her feet, leaning on the arm of her couch, bowl of ramen resting on the cushion. Her mouth was pulled into a small frown.

"That probably would have been smart, but I just… didn't want to wait any longer to confess to Izuku. I knew this would be the outcome, without a shadow of a doubt, but some stupid small part of me still hoped. Stupid hope…" Uraraka grumbled. He chuckled at her, adjusting his glasses.

"It'll be fine, Uraraka. And I know you know that. You just have to find out how to deal with these feelings. I mean, do you feel relieved at all?" Her friend questioned her. She glanced over at him, briefly wondering when they got so close, and so old. Well, they've been friends since basically the first day of school, and ever since they've been growing. She supposed that as they grew, their personalities just meshed together. Iida was no longer a super stickler for the rules, and even relaxed a bit. And Uraraka was more determined and focused on her goals, less concerned with petty things…

…or so that's what she had believed up until today. Still, she couldn't get over her feelings for Izuku, and had to ruin it. She was hung up on him and he distracted her from her goals. And she hated it. And he never realized. In another way, he had surpassed her without a thought, showing her- rubbing it in her face- that he was so brimming of purpose and resolve. She gritted her teeth slightly as anger bubbled up inside her at the fact that she had allowed herself to get so distracted.

But she hadn't, not really. Part of her understands herself, and knows that what she feels isn't her fault. But knowing something and feeling them are two very different things.

"Uraraka." A voice interrupted her thoughts, and she realized that she was, in fact, in the presence of another human being. "Don't beat yourself up or blame yourself. Feelings come and go, feelings are weak and strong. Feelings are… inescapable. You can't control them. No one can. Those who think they can are really just repressing them and being untrue to themselves. Putting your feelings, putting your heart out in the open was not only incredibly courageous, but showed that you owned them, not the other way around. You have to work through these feelings of sadness now. You have to embrace them, accept them, and move past them. You need to for the sake of your future." Tenya lectured. Uraraka's eyes were wide, ramen long forgotten on the couch as she drunk in his words.

"Tenya, that's… super insightful." Was all she said. He snorted and smirked, finishing off his ramen. "And yes," Ochaco began talking again, "I do feel relieved. I feel like I can let these feelings go now, you know? Now that he confirmed what I thought… that he is focusing only on his career as a hero for a long time. I understand it completely of course, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't sting. But… I get it. Especially since he has such big shoes to fill." Ochaco finished. Iida nodded in agreement with her.

"Do you think this will impact your friendship? You two are really close." He inquired. Ochaco was silent for a moment,

"No. Not in the long-term, anyway. I need some distance I think, at first, to rein in my emotions but… I think Deku and I will be friends for a very long time. Even now. He's one half of my best friends." Ochaco grinned at Iida, who simply smiled back before giving a yawn. Ochaco looked at the clock on the wall. Her eyes widened when she read 12 am.

"Oh gosh, Tenya! Get to bed! You have your private training session tomorrow at 7 am! I'm so sorry!" Ochaco squealed. He laughed.

"It's okay. Friends are more important, you know?" He replied, and then stretched. She shook her head.

"Nuh-uh, no way. Go to bed, right now. We are packing up and going to our dorms. You need all of your rest, because you know that you'll wake up at 5:30 all in nerves. At least we did manage to get some homework done. And some therapy." Ochaco giggled. Iida ceded to her, and they packed up and went their different ways.

Ochaco walked into her dorm quietly, not wanting to wake up Ashido or Asui. She quietly crept into the bathroom and put her pajamas on and brushed her teeth. She tiptoed over to her bed, slipping in under the covers, her mind fuzzing around the edges immediately.

 _But how am I going to manage these feelings?_

 _/_

Ochaco stretched at 6:45 in the morning. She groaned that she was awake so early. Her class didn't start until 8 am…

The thought popped into her head that Iida's training session was in fifteen minutes, and she quickly texted him a good luck message, to which he responded thanks, and then a whole paragraph about the inner workings of the Hosu police force. She rolled her eyes with a smile, realizing how nervous he must be. He always discusses the most random things for the sake of talking when he's nervous.

Uraraka got up and got ready for the day like normal, chatting with the girls and agreeing to go to breakfast with them before classes started. Asui, as observant as ever, asked if she was okay, to which Uraraka explained that she went to sleep around 1 am. Asui clicked her tongue and lightly reprimanded her, and Uraraka simply laughed in response.

The day went by in a blur, Uraraka thought, nothing significant happened. She didn't gain anything from her classes, but didn't have an awful day either. It was simply rather… bland. Although, perhaps that had to with the fact that she hadn't talked to Midoriya all day. She didn't really want to ignore him, but she felt like it would be better to sort out her feelings first before she engaged with him again. She hoped that he understood that before he came to talk to her about what he did wrong, with those kind eyes and open heart…

" _I'm sorry, Ochaco. I… I think I have the same feelings. I'm not sure what I'm feeling, but I'm pretty sure I reciprocate the love. But… I don't want to pursue a relationship right now, or any time in the near future. I.. I need to focus on myself and mastering my quirk. I need to focus on my dream. So I… I think it would be best to put these feeling to rest… for both of us." Midoriya was looking at her with such an intense sadness in his eyes that it took her aback. She didn't expect him to reciprocate her feelings, at all. She sighed and looked down, biting her inner lip. Midoriya opened his mouth to speak again, but she cut across him._

" _Deku, you've grown so much, and yet have remained who you are. I like that about you. Thank you for giving me such an honest answer. I understand, I really do. And I admire that you're so determined to achieve the future you've dreamed about. I'm proud of you, too; you didn't put my feelings first, before your dream. You're focusing on yourself. That's wonderful. Don't worry, Izuku, I'll be okay. We'll be okay." He looked stunned, but a small, grateful smile crept onto his freckled face, and she smiled back. She then nodded, said goodbye, and walked away… then started avoiding him, and ducking behind corners. She could only thank god that no one else had been around. She had made sure of it, but she was almost expecting someone to accidentally overhear, given her track record with luck._

 _/_

It had been a week. She had been avoiding Midoriya for a whole week, and the entire seven days have all blended together, too boring to stand out. She felt like she was watching paint dry in her life. She just talked to Iida and her dorm mates, went to class and slept. And she hadn't figured out a single thing with her feelings.

Uraraka suddenly groaned into her pillow, hugging it against her chest and burying her face into it. Tsuyu and Mina looked at each other, though Uraraka was oblivious to them both. They both were sitting on their own respective beds, and immediately got up to join Uraraka on hers.

"Come on, Ochaco! I don't know what happened, but you can't let whatever you're feeling trap you." Mina said. She laid an arm around the girls' shoulder, rubbing soothing circles into her arm. Asui sat on the other side of Ochaco, rubbing her friend's hair.

"Yeah. You're supposed to own your feelings." Asui added in her froggy voice. Mina nodded, and Ochaco groaned again.

"I don't know what to do, or how to control them." Uraraka mumbled into her pillow.

"Well, if it's heartbreak, which I'm almost certain it is, you have to embrace them." Tsuyu warbled. Ochaco lifted her head to face the girl.

"How did you know?" She asked. Tsuyu simply shrugged.

"Well… maybe not embrace them," Mina lightly added, "more like… use them. I think you've been embracing them too much. Acknowledge that they're there, and harness the pain you feel."

"Into doing what? Working extra hard on my homework?" Ochaco questioned. Mina frowned slightly in thought.

"Well, you have been wanting to get better at hand-to-hand combat right? Maybe head to the gym. You've honed your power a lot and you're almost in complete control of the abilities you currently have, but you don't get many chances to have hand-to-hand combat practice… maybe ask a teacher to set up a simulation or something." Asui responded, in thought. Ochaco just stared ahead at the floor, the gears in her head turning. Mina looked at Tsuyu, who shrugged, and looked concernedly at their friend. Ochaco blinked, and a grin broke out onto her face, and it was like she was rejuvenated.

"Yeah! Guys, that's actually such a great idea. Thanks! I'll go now!" And with that, she gave her smiling friends a brief hug, and jumped up to change into workout clothes.

/

Over the past two weeks, Ochaco had been to the gym eight times, working her muscles to the point of exhaustion. She had decided to go four times every week for however long she decided to keep this routine up, because it truly helped clear her mind. Her feelings hadn't changed much, but she felt accomplished now, because she was actually doing something. She felt like she could handle everything. She was back on track with a goal-oriented mind. Soon, the natural rhythm of her life fell back into place, with her and Midoriya being better friends than ever.

Weeks passed by, and Ochaco felt better and lighter. She kept going to the gym and to her private training sessions (which were mandatory for all last-year students), and she felt _good._ She felt like she had life figured out again. Her heart still sped up around Midoriya, though she noticed that each time it was slowing with the crushing replay of his rejection.

The chestnut-haired girl shook her head and walked through the doors of the gym, slinging her bag onto the ground. It wasn't a typical gym by any means; it had a huge sparring field in the center, with various weights and machines in a corner, and a running track surrounding it all. Usually she headed straight for the machines after her stretches; however, something caught her eye.

Or, rather, someone.

Usually, no one would come to the gym after their classes, being so worn out from the day. The last times she had come, she had been all alone. This is why she was currently staring in pure curiosity at the blonde hothead that was practicing sparring -alone- on the field. She cocked her head, and her feet carried her over to him without a thought.

Once he noticed her, he halted all motions.

She didn't blame him; they hadn't had a ton of interaction throughout school, though they were both classmates, he stuck with his crowd and she stuck with hers. The only times they had interacted were at school or class-wide events, and since each and every student's academic course had become individualized according to what they needed to work on, they didn't have as many of those anymore. So, bumping into each other on pure coincidence was surprising in the least.

"Jesus, Uraraka, take a fucking picture if you're just going to stare so blatantly." He called out to her dryly. She blinked, still lost in her thoughts. Bakugou hadn't changed too much since she first met him, although he was much less explosive. He was still clever and quick to fight, but he wouldn't let small things bother him anymore. He had chilled out, and took on a tone of sarcasm and crass with the rest of the class instead of outright anger. He was actually bearable to be around now, though he did still curse like a sailor and threaten people who got in his way. His determination to be number one was still the strongest part of his personality, though he was humbled and worked all the harder because of it. Uraraka shook her head from her ruminating, and processing what he said only a second ago, took her phone out of her pocket and took a picture, grinning all the while. Bakugou scowled deeper.

"Delete that." He demanded simply. There was no humor in his voice. Uraraka, on the other hand, just giggled. She had no idea why she thought to provoke him, but she was just rolling with it.

"Nah, I don't think so. You gave me permission!" She responded, stepping onto the sparring field. He simply raised an eyebrow at her, frowning, eyes searching her form. She knew that he was analyzing her, trying to figure out what game she was playing at. She decided to make things easy for him.

"I've been coming to this gym four times a week for the past five weeks, and I haven't seen a single soul. I've built muscle in that time, but I haven't improved my combat skills like I've wanted to. Fight me for the picture." She explained bluntly. She turned and tossed her phone onto her bag, knowing that he wouldn't back down.

"I'm not going to teach you." He spat at her. She shrugged.

"I don't want you to. I just don't get to fight people as much as I would like to. I want to hone my skills. So fight me, Bakugou." She replied. He huffed.

"I'm not taking it easy on you, and I'm not taking you to Recovery Girl, either. I'm only fighting you because I'm itching for one. Understand?" He proposed coldly. She walked opposite of him onto the field and nodded.

"Right. Now stop yapping and fight. Now!" She yelled, and in an instant, he was coming at her.

/

She ducked and dodged and still got hit so many times. It did, however, teach her a lot about her own fighting style and how inconvenient it was. She seriously did need to practice sparring with people more often; her movements were slow and lethargic, her offense basic, her style overall panicky and bland. She chewed her lip as she stared up at the ceiling, on her back and not keen to get up and face her bruises anytime soon. She soon heard footsteps crunching over to her, and soon enough, a shadow was looming over her, and her eyes were draw to his.

"Miserable." He shot at her. She sighed.

"Yeah, I know. Now you see why I needed this…" She responded.

"You're slow. Be quicker. Be lighter. Flow." He responded, rolling his eyes. She widened hers imperceptibly. She trailed his movements as he started walking away.

"Bakugou!" She called out. He didn't stop. "Can we do this again? In two days, the same time?" She asked after him, desperately. She didn't know why, but she needed this. She needed him, specifically. He didn't take it easy on her, and she had come to understand that he respected her. He would fight her and she would learn from it. He wouldn't try to teach her or come up with strategies for her…

All he did was wave his hand.

Ochaco rubbed the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, removing the blood that was leaking out of her lip. Her chest heaved and she stood with ragged determination, glaring at her opponent. She was watching him, waiting for him to make a move. He seemed to be doing the same, eyes roving over her, analyzing her, critiquing her. She ground her teeth together and pushed lightly off the floor with one foot, running faster than she's ever been able to, zigzagging her way across the battle field.

Bakugou braced himself for her, and launched himself to meet her halfway. He, however, a second before they met in the middle of the field, turned his body sideways and reached out to grab her arm, intending to pull her over his head and throw her onto the floor. But once he grabbed her arm, she jumped up and over him, using her center of gravity to pull him up with her and twisting herself around until she was pushing him onto the floor, her knee in his back. She could hear him growling under her, though his voice was muffled by the floor. She smirked slightly, breathing heavily.

"I believe that's a win for me for once?" She asked. He thought that she sounded all too delighted with herself.

"Out of what, the thirteen matches we've already had?" Bakugou snarled. "Stop laughing, you're fucking pissing me off even more. And get off of me already!"

Ochaco was indeed giggling at him. She was just happy that she finally beat him. For the past four weeks, they've met thrice each week, each meeting being something entirely different from the last.

"Twelve actually, but whose counting?" Ochaco responded, rolling off of him and laying on her back on the floor. Bakugou sat up beside her, rubbing his back slightly and stretching. Ochaco cringed when she heard some bones cracking, while he sighed in relief. "I hate when you do that, you know."

Bakugou grinned a wicked smile. "When I do what? Oh, you mean this?" He responded, and before she could cover her ears, he twisted his upper body to the side, causing a cascade of pops down his spine. He chuckled at her whines.

"Yes, that." Ochaco grumbled, frowning. He laughed still, though it sounded more of a bark.

"Good job today. I didn't expect you to use my weight against me. But don't expect it to happen again, because I'll make sure it fucking won't." He said after a few moments of silence. Ochaco was surprised with the praise, especially coming from Bakugou, but didn't dwell on it. Her cheeks still turned a light shade of pink, however.

"Uh, thanks. I'm really trying to improve myself. My private trainer even said he's noticed an improvement, so… thanks for that." She replied in a calm voice, closing her eyes. Her breathing was getting back to normal, and she could feel the sweat cooling down her body. Bakugou snorted beside her.

"The fuck you thanking me for? I'm not teaching you or anything." He responded. She chewed her lip and thought of how to phrase how grateful she was to him without him getting grossed out over all of the emotion.

"Well, as I'm sure you've noticed, I haven't grown much since our first year," she started. She rolled on her side to look at him while talked, and saw the pure confusion on his face. "I'm a small girl. You're literally the only person who will take me seriously in a fight. I've sparred with other people before, and they always stop before I get 'too hurt' or they won't even be really trying. It's so frustrating that just because I don't have a strength quirk that people immediately count me out. But… you never did. And I appreciate that, because facing someone who sees me as an equal, who comes at me full force is the only way I'm ever going to get better." She finished lightly, a small smile on her face. Bakugou immediately looked slightly awkward after her little speech, and if they weren't having a moment, she would have laughed.

"Yeah, well, what the fuck ever. I just really want to kick ass is all. And everyone here deserves a good ass kicking. I wouldn't go easy on any of the shitheads here." He responded, looking at Uraraka. She shrugged and sat up, crossing her legs and stretching her arms above her head. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths. His gaze lingered on her form for a moment longer before breaking away. A small bout of silence settled over the two.

"I'm surprised Deku didn't pounce on the opportunity to spar with you." Bakugou said suddenly. Uraraka finished stretching and looked at him quizzically.

"I mean, uh, we've sparred before. But he takes it easy on me too. Especially because he had feelings for me, he never wanted to hurt me. Even though that's what I needed and he knew it." She responded. She had actually gotten over her feelings for Midoriya, and though a slight sting was still there when she made herself sad at three in the morning, she no longer cringed when she discussed her old feelings or repressed them. She was focusing on herself now. She shook her head slightly and looked back at the boy beside her.

"Feelings? Seriously?" He responded. He sounded confounded. She giggled slightly.

"Yeah, me and Izuku told each other that we had feelings for each other, but he decided not to pursue anything because he wants to focus on just being a hero for a long time. And I thought that was fine and a noble course of action." Uraraka replied. She really couldn't believe that she was having this conversation with Bakugou Katsuki, of all people. Bakugou grunted.

"I think it's a load of shit. You want my viewpoint?" Bakugou asked. Before she could reply with 'no, not really', he continued, "well too bad, you're getting it anyway. I think that's stupid. You can like someone or whatever and still be focused on your goals. It's balance. What, does that idiot want to be alone for his whole life? It makes no sense. Having someone to love just gives you even more reason to want to accomplish your goals." Bakugou responded, laying on his back and looking anywhere but Uraraka's eyes.

Uraraka, on the other hand, was completely stunned. She expected him to say 'Midoriya's stupid' or something, anything but that.

"But how are you going to reach your full potential as a hero if you're always worried for someone else?" Uraraka asked herself more than him.

"Newsflash, dumbass: if you're a hero, it's your job to worry about people. You literally worry about people and save people for a reason. Having someone that you care about just makes you fight harder." He responded. He was clearly exasperated with this topic already. Meanwhile, the gears in Uraraka's head were starting to turn.

"Who do you have, Bakugou?" She asked quietly. Her eyes trailed after him, stuck to him as he stood up, walked over to pick up his bag, and started walking away.

"Next time, you're not winning." Was his only response. Uraraka flopped back onto the ground and puffed out air before getting up to leave as well.

/

A month had passed since their conversation, and there haven't been many in between. Still, Uraraka felt herself getting closer with Bakugou, like there was no need for verbal communication between them. At least, not much. She liked that they worked in sync with each other, fighting styles learning to complement each other, sweat and ragged breath mingling…

Uraraka blushed and shook her head. She was sitting on her bed with an open book in her lap, reading for leisure. There wasn't much she could do outside due to the thunderstorms, which only Kaminari really seemed to get hyped up about. Uraraka looked out of her window, watching the rain pelt the ground below, and got lost in thought again.

Graduation and final hero exams were a few short months away, only about five. She constantly worried about what she would do after, where she would get a job, how she would do as a hero, if she would stay here…

Ochaco was much more confident in herself and her future now than she was three months ago, however. She was surer of her abilities not only in a fight, but her resourcefulness and cunning as well. Her private training sessions focused on her weak points and rounded her out, while her combat with Bakugou helped her improve her physique all around. Not to mention her individualized classes helped her use her quirk in ways that she never thought of before. Ochaco couldn't help but smile slightly when she thought of how far her quirk usage had come. She worked herself to the bone, studying and fighting and practicing to learn her quirk through and through. She was no longer the little girl who had to touch people and simply make them float away; she could now activate her powers without touch, and determine the level of gravity to give whatever she controlled. She could intensify or weaken the gravity, giving her multiple advantages on the field. Ochaco really never thought that any of this was possible going into U.A..

Her thoughts were interrupted by her froggy friend pouncing onto her bed. She giggled.

"What's up, Sue?" She asked. Asui, who was lying on her back and staring at Uraraka, smiled.

"Since it's such a bad day outside, our classmates have decided that we should all have a mini-reunion, since we don't all see each other as much as we used to when we first got here." She said in a monotone voice. Ochaco brightened immediately.

"That sounds awesome! I know I haven't talked to a lot of people in a while, which honestly makes me kinda bummed out." Ochaco replied. Tsuyu simply nodded in agreement.

"Well, it's kinda like a party thing. Everyone's dressing in party clothes, for whatever reason. There's gonna be music and snacks and stuff I heard. I'll have to check what time it's happening again, but if I were you, I'd start getting ready. I know I'm about to-" Tsuyu said, informing Ochaco and standing up from the bed, but was interrupted. Mina burst through the door.

"Hey guys, the party reunion thing is going to be in like an hour, so that means get ready now. We can all get ready together! Aww, girl fun!" Mina gushed. Tsuyu laughed at her friend's excitement, and Ochaco marked where she was in her book, getting up from her bed and stretching.

"All right. So first things first: clothes." Ochaco replied. Both of her best girl friends nodded, and the room became a flurry of colors.

/

An hour and fifteen minutes later, the girls were all ready. Ochaco put makeup on herself, while Tsuyu just agreed to mascara and lip gloss, not used at all to having anything on her face. Ochaco was delighted that her Asui had let her do at least a little bit of makeup. Mina , unbeknownst to her two friends, was a natural at doing hair. She braided the sides of Tsuyu's hair, the braids combining into one long one at the back of her head, trailing down the lengths of her hair. Tsuyu gushed at her appearance, never having been too concerned about it before, but absolutely loving what they did. Mina, on the other hand, had help accessorizing her cocktail dress with jewelry, as she usually didn't wear any. She also allowed Ochaco to paint her nails, which Ochaco was utterly thrilled about. Ochaco was wearing a black, strapless bodycon dress with golden heels. She did her makeup, and Mina had put her hair up too, pulling the top half back into a ponytail and leaving the rest down. Mina was incredibly happy that she was able to mess with Ochaco's hair now that it was all down to her shoulders.

The girls finally made their way downstairs, heels clicking on the floor. Most of their classmates were already in the large common room. Tsuyu kept pulling her skirt down, self-conscious about how short it was, even though it went down to mid-thigh.

"We can always go change, or you can put on leggings underneath!" Ochaco suggested. Tsuyu simply shook her head, and Mina shrugged.

They all made it down into the common room, where the music was already blasting. Mina sighed.

"Thank _god_ Jirou is in charge of the music. She has such good taste." She exclaimed, to which the other girls agreed. Jirou also had an incredibly wide range of music tastes, so she was usually able to play something that everyone would like. Tsuyu then grabbed both of their hands, and pulled them (clumsily in her heels) over to the snack table. It was laden with all sorts of different things; something for everyone. The girls grabbed a small snack plate each and loaded up, standing around and surveying the area. The room was dark, with different colored lights decorating the room, causing it to look like a real party scene. The furniture was all moved to one side of the room, so that the other could be used as what Ochaco could only assume would be a dance floor once the party really got started.

"Hm. Who do you think the most handsome guy here is?" Ochaco heard Ashido ask, always one for gossip. Ochaco and Asui both thought for a moment.

"Honestly? I'd probably say Kaminari. I think he's just classically good looking. As long as we're not counting personalities, I mean." Asui trilled. Mina nodded along. Ochaco, however, was still thinking, when someone caught her eye.

It was none other than Bakugou, dressed up the slightest bit in a button-down and black jeans, being dragged behind Kirishima into the threshold of the room. She blushed slightly, and heard "Bakugou" slip out of her mouth in response to Mina's question. Mina's eyebrows shot up.

"Hm, really? Then I guess we really aren't taking personality into account. I mean, he isn't bad looking, but… hm. I don't know." Mina responded. "Kirshima's looking pretty good too." She added on, looking over to wear they stood, Bakugou seemingly having the worst time of his life. Tsuyu ribbited an affirmative.

The night went on. Everyone was having a great time catching up and dancing. Ochaco spun around with Iida, danced jokingly with Midoriya, and even got caught in a grind train with the girls, which she wouldn't stop being embarrassed about. After talking for a long time with Tokoyami at the snack table, she was now talking good-naturedly with Momo and Todoroki.

She wasn't sure what it was, but the whole room was in good spirits. The music was no longer blaring, but heard just above the conversations of friends. Ochaco thought that they needed this and thanked those that organized it. A feeling of warmth lingered in the air, a feeling that was entirely separate from the shared body heat. Everyone, even Bakugou, had loosened up, enjoying each other's presence. Uraraka felt safely at home here, surrounded by dear friends, and she suddenly had a feeling that she never wanted to stop being friends with these people. Good thing she had all of their phone numbers.

After disengaging from Momo and Todoroki, she scanned the room for her next victim, before her eyes landed on Bakugou, leaning against a wall with drink in hand. She walked up to him, weaving between people and saying rushed greetings, and stood before him. He looked down at her, raising an single eyebrow in questioning. She simply smirked up at him and plucked his drink from his hand and set it on the floor. She snickered at the frown that had worked its way onto his face.

"Dance with me?" She asked. She wasn't sure what was making her be so bold, and she was sure that he was going to say no, but she still wanted to mess with him. His frown deepened and his eyebrows furrowed.

"Absolutely not." Was his cold reply. She shrugged and took her phone from on her dress pockets and snapped a quick picture of his face. She grinned as he ground his teeth.

"Delete that." He spat.

"Dance with me for it." She replied. He glared at her, but she was unaffected.

"No. What the fuck, Uraraka?" He asked, anger lacing his words. She simply shrugged and smiled easily up at him.

"Fine, then I'll just keep it forever. See you, then." She replied, turning around and stalking off. His hand snapped out and grabbed her arm before she left, and he yanked her back into him. He snarled into her ear.

"Shut the fuck up. What do you want, another ass beating?" He asked.

"No. I want a dance." She replied. He groaned in frustration.

"And why do you fucking want a dance with me so fucking badly?" He asked, voice raising the slightest.

"You make everything interesting." She said simply, surprising herself with that answer. She back away from him lightly, though his hand was still gripping her upper arm. He growled and started marching towards people, pulling her forcefully along with him. She found herself grinning, despite the obvious looks of confusion that their classmates were giving them. Once they were in the throng of people, he robotically put his hands on her waist, and she put hers on his shoulders. She grinned cheekily at him, while he just huffed. The awkwardly twirled around for a few moments as she took in the looks everyone was giving her. Mina and Tsuyu were wide-eyed, but she saw Mina mouth 'get it!', which made her blush. Tsuyu noticed too and pushed her slightly before pulling her away by the hand. She saw Iida smiling at her, and she just knew that he was going to force another late-night ramen talk. Izuku just looked confused. She could have laughed, but was brought back to the present by Bakugou talking.

"Good enough? We danced. Delete the fucking picture." He grunted. She shook her head.

"You call that dancing? No. Twirl me around, side step, jazz hands… I expect it all." She replied. She was having too much fun with herself.

"Fine. You want dancing?" Bakugou suddenly beamed maliciously at her, and she then realized that this may have been a mistake. He then removed a hand from her waist and used his other to remove her hands from his shoulders, grabbing one of her hands and spinning her. He spun her out, and into him, and she crashed into his chest. They swayed greatly before he took both of her hands and they started spinning in a circle, before he brought her close and put one arm under her waist, dipping her low. She was slightly dizzy now, but he soon brought her up and steadied her with his hands, though they were resting on her hips. She could vaguely hear him laughing.

"You looks so fucking stupid. How was that for dancing, prick?" He asked. She blinked at him a few times, regaining her grounding. She then felt his hand sliding lower on her hips, and recognized that his hand was sneakily entering her dress pocket, and she snapped back to life. She clamped her hands over his wrist.

"Oh no, you are not taking my phone. I will delete the picture, okay? That was some dance, I must admit. But you were off beat the entire time." She teased. He rolled his red eyes but removed his hand, settling it back on her hip again, gripping her tightly. She made a 'hmph' noise and dug her phone out herself and promptly deleted the picture, showing him that there was no picture of them. "Happy now?" She asked.

"Over the moon." He responded dryly. She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, right." She responded, humor in her voice. She was looking at his eyes, searching them for something, but she didn't know what. His hands were still settled comfortably on her hips, and the thought of disengaging from him never crossed her mind. Her hands wound themselves around his neck, and she barely registered how close their faces were. She seemed to only come out of her haze when she noticed the slightest tint of red on his cheeks. She then snapped to attention and remembered where she was, who she was with, and registered the music in the background, along with the dulcet tones of conversation. She shook her head as if that would clear her thoughts away, ad to her surprise a yawn ripped through her. She turned her head to the side.

"Go to sleep, idiot." Bakugou spoke. His thumbs were absentmindedly rubbing circles into her hips, a motion she found extremely relaxing, despite his callouses occasionally snagging the material of her dress. She shook her head in disagreement.

"No way, the party is still going, and I'm honestly having a lot of fun." She replied. He shrugged.

"Whatever, I'm not your damn babysitter. But when I pummel your sorry ass tomorrow, don't expect me to feel any sympathy for you." He responded smoothly, hands stilling.

"Well I would never expect that, of course." She giggled. He snorted and his hands slipped from her hips. She took that as her cue to let go of him, too.

"Well, I'm going back to my fucking dorm. I'm only here because Kirishima basically forced me, anyway. Shithead." He mumbled eyes searching to find Kirishima in the crowd of people, looking faintly annoyed. Ochaco smiled.

"Go to sleep, idiot." She replied, sticking her tongue out at him. He flicked it and left, grabbing Kirishima and talking to him on the way.

Despite agreeing to a ramen-fueled therapy session with Iida and Izuku the next evening and answering the rapid-fire questions that the girls had for her on the way back to the dorm, Uraraka went to sleep with a huge smile on her face. She felt weightless, truly happy, truly worriless for the first time in a long time. She felt like this party was something that all of the students needed.

/

Sunlight filtered through the blinds of Ochaco's window and hit her eyes, forcing a groan out of the girl. She pulled the blankets up and turned away from the window in hopes of catching some more sleep, but the damage was done. She rubbed her eyes lightly and sighed, forcing them open. She looked around the room, slightly dazed. She spotted her phone on the table next to her and grabbed it.

A grin broke out on her face when she realized that Sero had started a "Class 1A forever!" group chat. She scrolled through the messages bemusedly, giggling as she saw Bakugou's furious messages about how stupid it was, and Izuku's 'calm down Kacchan!'. Too bad that Bakugou can't leave the chat because not everyone had the same phones, she mused. She typed a quick 'good morning everyone! Thanks for the party again, it was great! We should do that type of thing more often.' And set it back on the table.

She loved that she was getting back in touch with her friends. A warm feeling blossomed inside of her, and she turned on her back and closed her eyes to enjoy it. A soft smile spread onto her face and she sighed in contentment. She didn't realize how much she missed everyone individually. It felt like a void that she didn't even know was there was filled. Her life had been pretty rich lately, filled with people that she loved and self-improvement.

Ochaco decided that it was probably time to get up by now. She sat up and stretched her arms out in front of her, arching her back until she felt a pop. She only slightly cringed as she thought of Katsuki and his affinity for cracking any and all of his bones. She then took a few deep breaths and got up to get ready for the day. She crept quietly to the bathroom, always being the first one up, and avoiding the clothes that were strewn haphazardly around the room after the girls got back to their dorm last night. A small smile flitted across Ochaco's face as she remembered last night before it was overtaken by extreme embarrassment as she remembered her and Katsuki's dancing.

Oh, Katsuki! She had forgotten all about their sparring today. Deciding to wait to shower until after, she grabbed clothes from her dresser and changed, put her hair into a ponytail, scrubbed her face and then brushed her teeth. With that, she grabbed her phone and was out the door, completely ignoring the fact that she had started calling Bakugou by his first name.

Considering that it was a Sunday, there was almost no one up this early, aside from the teachers and a select few students who didn't spend last night partying. Ochaco had a bit of ways to go before she reached the gym that she and Katsuki usually sparred at, but she decided to take in the beautiful day in the courtyard near her dorm. She ordered a water from the vending machine and sat down on a bench outside, on the outskirts of the grassy field. It had a fountain in the center, with stone walkways all through it. The trees were starting to bloom again she noticed. She took a deep breath and felt entirely at peace. As she sipped her water, she pulled her phone out, and decided just to text Bakugou when they would meet up. She hadn't really texted him before, but seeing how they never agreed on a time, she thought it appropriate. She wondered if he went to sleep as soon as he got back to the dorm, or if he would even be up at 8:30 in the morning. She chewed her lip absentmindedly, trying not to think about when she started thinking about Katsuki so much.

Ochaco was so absorbed In her thoughts that she hadn't noticed people passing her, the birds flying overhead, or the person walking up to her. She only snapped to attention when she heard her name.

"Ochaco?" The voice hesitantly asked. She jumped in her seat, nearly falling off, before her best friend quickly reached out and grabbed her hand to pull her back to balance. She laughed airily, thanking Midoriya.

"Oh, Deku, sorry! I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn't even see you coming." She replied, rubbing the back of her head, her cheeks turning pink in embarrassment.

"Oh, that's alright, Uraraka! I didn't mean to scare you. I was just asking what you're doing out in the courtyard at 8:45 in the morning?" He asked sincerely. Uraraka's eyes widened as she checked her phone. She did indeed have a text from Katsuki, telling her to meet him in the gym in 10 minutes. He sent that 5 minutes ago.

"Well, I decided to get an early morning gym session in." She said sheepishly, starting to get up from the bench. "I'm actually about to be late, so-"

Deku cut in. "Late for a private gym session?" He asked, looking at her confusedly. She still gnawed at the inside of her lip.

"Well, I'm not exactly alone. But, I really have to go now. I promise that I'll tell you and Iida everything later tonight! We're still on for the ramen therapy session, right?" She asked cheerfully. Izuku brightened up immediately and nodded. "Oh, by the way, what are _you_ doing in the courtyard at 8:45 in the morning?" She shot back, giggling.

"Yeah, we are! Honestly, in the chaos of last night, I totally forgot about us all hanging out tonight. And I was just meeting All Might for a talk, you know how those go. But yeah, see you then! It'll be fun tonight." He replied enthusiastically, grinning at her.

"Yup, bye Deku!" replied, already starting to walk away from him.

She was in a dead sprint the second the conversation completely ended.

She was a minute late when she got to the gym. She saw him standing there, arms crossed, frowning down at her. She looked up at him and then her head dropped back down. She was currently doubled over, hands on her knees, heaving. She had drunk most of her water before she even got here, and finished it off before she even started the match. Bakugou had simply raised an eyebrow at her.

"We do all of this shit and yet running has you doubled over? The fuck is wrong with you?" He questioned. She made a motion of what looked like a shrug, and he rolled his eyes. "Get up. We have some sparring to do. I don't give a shit why you had to run all the way here, it's not my problem. My problem is that my fucking sparring partner isn't sparring with me. Fix it." He growled at her. She took a last deep breath and stood tall, glaring at him.

"Fine. Then shut up and start fighting." She replied. In an instant, he was running at her. She narrowly dodged and then sidestepped as he turned on a dime and came right back at her.

"This is for making me fucking dance last night, you fucking moron." He spat at her, adrenaline coursing his veins. She thought his eyes looked more alive than ever as she caught his arm and twisted it away from her face and evaded another punch thrown towards her stomach.

"You _loved_ holding me like that and you know it, you ass." She replied back, fire in her voice. She wasn't sure why she was reflecting his mood like this, but his eyes widened as he pushed off of her and aimed a kick at her stomach, fast as ever. She ducked low in an instant and caught his leg, twisting it and pushing up at the same time, causing him to be thrown off balance and hit the ground. Her words had clearly aggravated and distracted him. She smirked down at him, hands on her hips.

"Shut the fuck up!" He yelled and sprang up. He aimed a furry of jabs at her, a few of which hit, though she tried to block most of them. In one of her attempts to block, he grabbed her arm and twisted her tight against him. She could feel the heat creeping up her neck.

"But you didn't deny it." She responded softly, but loud enough for him to hear. She heard him snarl and kneed him in the stomach before wrenching her arm from his grasp. She hung onto his shoulders, and as he tried to flip her over and push her into the ground, she quickly sidled around onto his back, kicking his knees out and letting his weight fall on her before rolling on her back with the force of gravity on the ground. In one swift motion, She put her feet onto his back and pushed with all of her might, throwing him off of her and onto the ground a few inches away from her. They were now both breathing heavy with exertion, but she quickly left her spot on the ground to pin him.

He was almost as quick as she was, but she pushed him back onto the ground roughly with her foot before straddling his stomach and pinning his arms down above his head. She was breathing heavily and she stared down at him before a triumphant smirk made its way onto her face. She loved the look of surprise on his face before it snapped back into anger.

"You fucking distracted me!" He shouted in her face. She cringed back, but continued to pin his arms. She was leaning over him and stuck her tongue out.

"Distracted you with the truth?" He was practically foaming at the mouth.

"Shut the fuck up! What's even wrong with you, do you have a death wish?! Why can't you ever leave me alone? Anyone would have gotten the fuck off of me by now, anyone would be running if I was this angry at them! Get off of me, Ochaco!" He yelled. She frowned.

"You're not actually that angry with me. You know I'll go again without distractions, so you shouldn't be mad at me about that! And you definitely don't scare me, Katsuki. I know you're actually a sweetheart." She replied smoothly, getting off of him and sitting beside him. He stared open-mouthed at her.

"I'm a _what_?! Do you know me? Are you fucking shitting me right now? And yes, I can actually be that mad with you, because I fucking am. I should scare you. You know firsthand what I can fucking do. What even makes you so bold with me? To say all this shit to me? Why don't you ever goddamn care? Why are you special?" He yelled the last part. She shrunk back slightly, pouting.

"Because I know you won't hurt me… with bad intentions." She replied softly. She was staring at the ground now, playing with a strand of her hair.

"And what makes you fucking think that?" He asked. His tone was still angry, but she noticed a tone of curiosity, of desperation in his voice, like she held the answers that he had been seeking. She looked up and stared him right in the eyes. He was still lying down.

"Because. You're a sweetheart." She responded honestly.

/

She doesn't know when it started.

It could have started after the last sparring match, after the party, after their first deep conversation, or the first day of school.

She doesn't know when she started thinking about every little thing about him. She doesn't know when she started wishing that he would have a good day. She doesn't know when she started missing him, or thinking about him with little unrelated things. She doesn't know when sparring with him became her favorite part of the week, or when she found out that she absolutely loves his company. She doesn't know when she had etched every little detail of his face and body into her memory.

She doesn't know when she started to have feelings for him. She feels like they've always been there. They were so familiar to her now.

She does know when she started expressing them, however.

After that sparring match that seemed so long ago, where she bared her heart and hoped that he would understand. She's not sure if he did.

She was open, now. She would text him about things that reminded her of him, she would text him good morning and good night, even if he didn't respond.

He never responded.

It's been about a month since that telling sparring match, and Ochaco has been on what Iida describes as an 'emotional rollercoaster'. Mina and Tsuyu simply said it was love. Ochaco didn't like the labels, because she wasn't sure that what she felt could be contained or named. It was wild, uncontrollable, a fire that would surely consume everything in its path if given the chance. It made her feel uneasy, at worst.

It was so unlike when she had feelings for Midoriya. Those were curled inside of her, shut closed in her heart, and alit her with a warmth that she basked in.

What she felt for Katsuki unfurled from her heart and covered every inch of her body. It was a boiling hot monster, but she never felt burned.

Ochaco loved the feeling of love. She loved loving and being loved. She thought it was one of the best feelings in the world. She supposed that that was why she felt uneasy.

Bakugou never really did reciprocate. She supposed he tried, when he would start conversations even if he didn't want to. She supposed he tried, when he gave all of himself to her. She supposed he tried in the late nights were she would whisper goodnight and he would hold her naked body closer. She supposed that he tried to communicate his feelings, but she wasn't sure that he even understood himself.

She just wanted a verbal confirmation. She wanted to know that all of these little things, these little actions that she adores and that she's addicted to, meant what she had hoped they meant. She needed to know that she wasn't making this all up and that he really returned her love…

"Uraraka." A rough voice called her back to the present. Her eyes snapped to his, leering over her. "The fuck are you thinking about right now?" He asked, clearly annoyed. Her eyes bore into his for a second before answering.

"Us." She responded. She noticed that his face immediately contorted into one of discomfort and slight guilt. He probably noticed that she sounded a little bit sad.

He shook out of it. He always does.

"Well, stop." He replied. She sighed, but before she could, his lips captured hers once again, and she made a muffled shriek.

His kiss this time was loving and tender, so unlike the rough and wild side of his that he usually showcased in their intimate moments. Uraraka sighed into his kiss, knowing that this couldn't keep up. She didn't want to ruin it, but she needed to know. She so desperately needed to know that she wasn't imagining that that kiss meant 'I love you'. She wanted to stay there forever, just like this, skin on skin, worrying about nothing but this moment. She wanted to be frozen in amber, in this utter bliss that he could make her feel. She didn't want to break away from him, didn't want to stop, and didn't want to destroy everything that they had made.

She had to. She broke the kiss.

"Katsuki…" She sighed his name, and she felt him tense up. She pushed his bare chest lightly, and he got off of her, sitting facing her on his bed. She knew he could sense that she wanted to talk.

"You know how I feel about you. But… I don't know how you feel about me. And it's killing me. I love kissing you, and everything else we do. Even when we spar, it's my favorite part of the week. But I can't keep doing this," She paused, sniffing, "It hurts. It hurts that we give each other all of us, and I still don't even know if you feel the same. Every time we're together, it's like a slap right across the face for me." She said quietly. Her head was down and tears slipped down her pink cheeks. She cradled her face in her hands, not wanting to completely breakdown in front of him. She tried to pull herself together, and only looked up when he handed her her shirt.

"Get dressed, Ochaco. And here," he said, handing her his shirt as well. "I don't have tissues, but you can use that and…. Keep it. This feelings shit, I don't know fucking anything about it. You know that. I need some time to sort it out, okay?" He asked. She nodded, and pulled on her shirt, hugging his to her chest. She looked at him like a deer in the headlights, and he leaned over and tried to fix her hair somewhat. He smiled faintly.

She left.

/

It had been days. Ochaco was a right mess. She couldn't stop her mind from whirring into action at the most random of times, thinking about him and thinking about everything, and then completely shutting off at other times.

She couldn't help it.

She was lying awake in her bed, and the thoughts wouldn't leave her alone.

" _Because. You're a sweetheart." She said. Her tentative declaration was met with silence, an uncomfortable, sticking silence, and she tried to ignore the little part of her that had caved in at that very moment._

" _Well, this has been fun, but um… I'm going to go. See you, Bakugou." She said lightly, trying to remove some of the tension that seemed to be rapidly filling the gym. She glanced at him, and wasn't surprised that he was staring at the ceiling, unmoving, unblinking. She heaved herself off of the ground and went to pick up her phone and empty water bottle by the close wall._

" _Wait." A voice rung in the air. She jumped slightly, not expecting him to respond or address her at all. He didn't seem to expect it, either. She picked up her things and turned around to face him. He was already half way to her._

 _She stood still, slightly shaking in nervousness, and she leaned against the wall to steady herself. She opened her mouth, but before she could, he was there, above her, against her, all around her. Her voice died and all she could see and smell and touch were him. All she could hear was his breathing, and all she could taste…_

 _Were his lips._

 _They were rough and tasted like sweat mingled with toothpaste, and she wasn't sure if the liked it._

 _Her head hit the wall and she groaned in pain, but the sound was muffled by his mouth, and he pushed her back up against the wall. He was rough, and he didn't care, and she wasn't sure if she cared, either._

 _It felt like centuries. She wasn't sure when, but his hands were on her waist, moving up and down, and her hands were gripping his shirt like he would float away if he didn't._

 _She broke from him. Her hair was sticking all over the place, her back was flush with the wall, and her eyes were inquisitive. Bakugou looked endlessly lost._

" _What the fuck?" He whispered. She laughed, because, what a Bakugou thing to say about something like this._

" _You tell me." She whispered. He frowned. They looked into each other's eyes, looking for something in each other. Bakuguo stared intently at her, eyes roving over every detail, every line of her face, as if trying to decipher some ancient script._

" _I don't fucking know. I don't know how to express myself verbally. Fuck that." He said finally, quietly, like he didn't want to break the fragile serenity that had encased them._

" _What does that even mean?" She asked. He groaned in turn and backed away from her a few steps._

" _The only person who tries to get close to me or see me as a fucking person is Kirishima. Everyone else is fucking afraid of me. They should know now that I don't give a rat's ass about them and that I wouldn't actually hurt them just because they all piss me the fuck off so much. Even fucking Deku is still scared. Why are you and Kirshima special? I don't fucking get it!" He shouted the last part, obviously hands ran violently through his hair as he tried to make sense of what he was thinking and feeling._

" _So… are you saying that you kiss Kirishima too?" Ochaco asked, playing innocent. He simply stared at her, then turned on his heel and started walking out._

" _Wait! Tomorrow, after classes?" She called. All she got was the middle finger, which made her laugh._

"Uraraka!" Tsuyu yelled, causing said girl to jump into the air.

"Sorry! Sorry, what?" She asked dumbly. Mina simply 'tskd' her.

"Uraraka, you know how hard the finals are. We only have a little less than three months left here. It would do to lay your feelings to rest to focus on yourself and your goals once again. If you're able, of course." Tokoyami said without looking up from his book. Dark Shadow, meanwhile, went around the table and wrapped Uraraka into what seemed to be a hug. She smiled and stroked the Shadow.

"Sorry, guys. Honestly, it's really hard for me to control my mind right now. It'll go into overdrive one moment and shut off the next." She responded.

"It's understandable, Ochaco. You've been through enough heartbreak this year, that's for sure." Asui said lightly, nudging her slightly. Ochaco let out a small laugh that sounded hollow.

"Yeah, really. First Midoriya, and now Bakugou. You're just counting them off one by one it seems." Iida spoke up, smiling at her and winking. She really laughed this time, looking at Midoriya's red and guilty face.

"Yeah, watch out or you're next, Tenya!" Mina said in faux fear. Uraraka laughed harder, and the rest followed suit. Even Shoji shook in quiet laughter.

"I can't believe that we'll really be graduating in less than three months." Shoji exclaimed quietly once the laughter died down. A feeling of collective sadness permeated the air in that moment.

"I know. It's incredible, really. It really feels like no time has passed…" Midoriya trailed off.

"I'm really going to miss you guys and seeing everyone almost everyday." Ochaco confessed. Since the party, even though they didn't have nearly the same schedules, the old students of class 1A had made more of an attempt to keep in touch.

"Yeah. It'll be weird, all of us going our own ways. I hope none of the old class 1A gang stop talking, though. You all are like my family!" Ashido exclaimed.

"Well, you aren't getting rid of me at least, Mina." Asui smiled at her on the couch. She was squished right in between Mina and Ochaco, and she leaned over slightly to give Mina a brief squeeze around the shoulders. Ohcaco soon joined in one the hug, holding the frog girl around the middle, full of emotion.

"Oh com on guys, don't make me cry!" Ochaco wailed. Tokoyami was seated on the couch opposite of the girls, with Shoji next to him. Dark Shadow looked at the girls in confusion, while Midoriya and Iida looked on amusedly from the armchairs at the other ends of the table. For a long minute, the only sounds puncturing the silence were the cries of the three girls.

"Oh come on now, I'm sure we'll still all be friends. And, even if we aren't, we'll all carry wonderful memories with us. Where we go in the world, wherever life takes us, we'll be okay. You all know that." Iida said calmly, looking at the three, who all cried harder in turn.

"But… but what if we aren't? Like… what if some of us fail at being heroes? What happens then? Then, this was all for nothing. What if we aren't good enough?" Izuku whispered, voicing his own insecurities. Dark Shadow bonked him lightly on the head, and Tokoyami reprimanded the boy, who was now pouting and rubbing his head.

"We're all going to be just fine. We will all continue to grow and learn, and that will make us stronger. Trust me Izuku, you have nothing to worry about. Even if we all fail horribly, we'll still have each other. It's up to us to stay friends." He finished. Shoji crossed his six arms and nodded in agreement.

"Plus, we all have cell phones. Everyone's always only a phone call away." He added. They all nodded.

"Alright. Where were we?" Uraraka asked after her tears had dried, and they all calmed down a bit. She sniffled and rubbed her eyes, looking back at the open books in her lap.

Even though she was worried and insecure about the future, and even though she felt like she might be infinitely sad, she knew that she would always have her friends, and that was something that she was incredibly grateful for.

/

It was finally Saturday, and with nothing to do, a lot of the Class 1A kids were hanging out in the lounge room. There was a comfortable silence hanging in the air as everyone enjoyed the sunlight streaming in through the open windows, the light breeze wafting through the room. Golden specks of dust danced in the air, and calls of birds created a harmonious melody that instantly relaxed the students.

This was all interrupted by a very bored Kaminari.

"Oh my god, everything here is so boring now!" He groaned. Everyone in the room rolled their eyes.

"Well, what do you expect us to do?" Ojiro asked.

"I don't know. Anything!" He replied to the boy across the room. Momo rolled her eyes once again and called,

"Why don't you think of something to do, since you're so bored, and let us know."

"Why do I always have to come up with something?" Kaminari huffed.

"Because you're the only one bored. I was having a lovely conversation with the birds outside." Koda replied, exasperated.

"Oh, well my bad princess, go back to doing that then." Kaminari said grumpily, turning back around in the armchair he was settled on. Koda was on the couch by the window, and he sighed.

"Well, I would if your loud voice didn't scare them away."

"Look, I'm just trying to think of something fun-"

"Why can't you ever just relax? Is it all the pent up electricity? Like-"

"Guys, shut up-"

"Of course this would happen." Todoroki mumbled to Jirou who was seated on the couch with him, opposite of Kaminari on the armchair. She groaned and her head landed onto Yaoyorozu's shoulder, who was shaking her head. Momo was seated cross-legged on the couch, and Jirou was leaning up against her with her legs propped up onto Todoroki's lap. Said boy's head was in his hand, propped up on the arm of the couch, eyes closed, trying to block out the arguing. His other hand rested easily on Jirou's calf. Momo watched the boys bicker, and groaned again once she saw Sato take Koda's side, and Sero jump in to defend Kaminari. Her head hit the cushions behind her lightly as she stared up at the ceiling, praying for someone else to make them shut up for once.

The peace was regained when an explosion was sounded at the doorway of the room. Their heads all snapped to the source of the noise, a slightly annoyed Bakugou. Kirishima was standing against the wall, and he rolled his eyes.

"What's the problem today?" He asked casually. Kaminari began explaining the situation at hand, with of course everyone jumping in the way. Eventually, Ojiro gained the attention of the room, and very calmly explained how Kaminari was being a baby.

"So basically… Kaminari is a little bitch," Bakugou stated bluntly, "that's not really surprising news." He said callously, earning a lot of laughs, while Kaminari sunk lower in his seat.

A voice spoke up behind him and Bakugou moved away from the entrance of the room and turned around. It was Hagakure's smiling face, looking timidly up at him.

"Thank you!" She said cheerfully, walking into the room and plopping down on the loveseat next to Ojiro.

"I still can't get over the fact that you can control your quirk completely now." He said. She grinned and nodded enthusiastically.

"I know! No one's used to actually seeing me yet. The private training sessions have seriously helped me out, a lot." She replied. "Anyway, Kaminari, I overheard the situation. If you're bored, why not just throw another party?" She asked innocently. The room was silent for a moment, and then-

"HAGAKURE! You're a genius!" Kaminari yelled, and in the next moment, he was twirling her around. Everyone laughed, aside from Bakugou, who groaned.

"Not one of those fucking things again." He spat. The room quieted down, and Kirishima rolled his eyes.

"Come on Bakugou, lighten up! You gotta learn to relax man." Sero said. Kaminari and Todoroki nodded in agreement. Bakugou ignored them.

"You're just afraid of running into Ochaco, you pussy." He said easily. Bakugou instantly flared up.

"No the fuck I'm not, I'm not scared of anything you douchebag! Certainly not tiny ass Ochaco!" He yelled. Kirishima shrugged.

"Then go to the party." He responded. His arms were behind his head on the wall and he didn't look stressed in the slightest, not even with a literal ball of fire next to him. A few snickers were heard around the room, but Bakugou ignored them.

"No. It sucked last time, it'll suck this time." He responded.

"You're ignoring her, man. Juts admit it to yourself." Kirishima said, sounding exasperated for once. Bakugou snarled and glared at him. Everyone in the room shared confused looks, because no one else knew about Bakugou and Uraraka's fling.

"Shut the fuck up, I swear to god. I'll go to the fucking party if it'll shut you up. For good." Bakugou threatened. Kirishima pushed off the wall and turned to him, grinning.

"Great! So, tonight? What preparations need to be done?" Kirishima asked, turning to the others and clapping his hands.

The room was suddenly a flurry of people talking excitedly and moving to set everything up.

/

A knock resounded on the door to Ochaco's room. It was heavy-handed, and Ochaco thought it sounded like Tsuyu, due to her unusually big hands as a result of her quirk.

"I told you already," She replied, utter despair lacing her every word, "I'm not going tonight. I wanna have fun, but I can't face him right now, Tsuyu. I haven't had enough time." She said. "I appreciate you though." She said louder. Ochaco rolled onto her side to face the window, burrowing down into her blankets and staring at the sky. She lied unblinking, unmoving, looking at the stars. She hated how morose she probably looked.

There was another knock at her door, and she was starting to get a bit annoyed. She didn't have the motivation to move, however.

"You can come in Asui, it's not locked, unless you and Mina locked it before you left. And besides, you both have keys." She called. "I don't feel like getting up to get the door." She added on as an afterthought. She heard the door crack open and saw light fill the room. Heavy footfalls grew nearer, and she was suddenly nauseous. Why would Sue even knock? And why would she come back after giving up on convincing Ochaco to go to the party? The person stopped by her bed, and she was suddenly certain that it wasn't Asui. She mustered all of her courage and turned over in her bed.

She wasn't surprised, or maybe she was, when her eyes met fierce red orbs, staring down at her. Into her.

She didn't know what she felt.

Only that suddenly he was running his fingers through her hair, and she wished that he would be running his hands all over her body, boring into her, onto her, all over her. She drew a sharp breath and closed her eyes for a moment, collecting her thoughts.

She opened her eyes, and his hadn't moved at all.

"Damn, Ochaco. I'm fucking sorry." He said, much more gently than she ever thought him capable of. She blinked at him, and then realized that she was probably a mess. She had been crying, ugly crying, and her hair was everywhere. She limply shrugged at him, and he deflated.

"'happens…" she mumbled. She was choking on her own words, and more sobs threatened to break through, but she refused to let herself fall apart in front of him. She had done so much to strengthen herself, to improve herself, to be the best that she could be, and she refused to let him tear it all down, even if he didn't mean to. She was strong in her own right, and she hated that she let her emotions run rampant for this long, to be this wild.

His hand suddenly left her hair, and he walked away. She thought he would be walking through the door, forgetting her, forgetting them, and all of her thoughts stilled until he was right back by her side. She looked past him and saw that the door was closed and locked. Her eyes darted back up to his.

"You know I'm not good with words." He responded. He tossed the blankets off of her to the foot of the bed and sat on the bed next to her, chuckling when she squealed and tried to cover her panties with her shirt. His eyes were stuck to her body for a long time, roving over her, wishing he could reach out and destroy her. His eyes landed back on hers, and he was utterly and completely lost.

He wanted to destroy her in the best way possible, have her begging for his touch, have her on her knees pleading, whimpering his name. He wanted to tear her down, to have only her soul bared to him, her most fervent desires and needs showcased to him and only him.

He realized how stupid he was, when she did all of that to him, unwound him in every possible way, with just a look. He sighed and ran a hand aggressively through his hair.

"You don't have to cover up. I've literally seen you naked before." He teased her lightly. He smiled softly at the blush that quickly rose up on her cheeks. He admired her for a bit longer before looking down at the bed. It was silent for a minute.

"You should come to the party… it only just started." He said quietly. She didn't respond. He didn't want to say his emotions out in the open, but he knew he would have to. He needed her to talk to him fearlessly like she used to. He needed her to show him her emotions, to scream and cry and call him an idiot. He needed her to beat him with every ounce of strength that she's accumulated entirely on her own. He just needed her to speak again.

He needed her.

He gathered his thoughts, putting them together agonizingly slow, trying to form all of his unruly thoughts into one coherent sentence. It felt like time had stilled, like it was stretching out before them. It felt like civilizations had been reborn, conquered and died again before he finally talked.

"To put it bluntly," He started, watching her eyes jump to his after an eternity of silence, "I'm a spineless pussy when it comes to feelings. Fear? I act like I have none. That's a filthy fucking lie. All of my life, being number one, and being a hero was all the mattered. And then, I came to this fucking school, and you all turn me into some fucking pansy. I make friends. I reconnect with my parents. And then, when I thought I had everything fucking figured out into "like" and "dislike", you come waltzing along, and you turn everything inside out and upside down. Because suddenly, you didn't fit into my categories. Suddenly, you were something I never dealt with before. And I was really fucking scared. I was a little bitch and that's why I hurt you. You didn't fit into any of my boxes, and I needed time to sort it out. God, am I making any fucking sense?" He asked, his anger growing. She just nodded, staring at him with wide eyes.

"I just… had to clear everything out. I made a new space for you. Just for you." He said quietly. She still didn't say anything.

He didn't say anything else.

The silence was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

"Dammit, Uraraka, say something!" Bakugou suddenly snapped. She didn't flinch this time.

"I'm processing." She responded lazily. He groaned and fell back on her bed. He felt her shift next to him but didn't think anything of it until he felt her soft hands around his neck. He opened an eye and looked at her. Her chest was pressed up against his, a leg crossed over his, other straight. Her hands rested lightly around his neck. Her eyes were closed, but she breathed deeply.

"It's okay." She said. Her words hung in the air. "All I need to know is that you reciprocate. We don't have to be anything…" She said sadly. He furrowed his eyebrows and looked at her, cracking both eyes open.

"Why would that thought even cross your mind, stupid? If I'm in, I'm all in. You should know that by now. I don't half-ass anything." He responded, rolling his eyes. He was met once again with silence, and he was getting pretty pissed about it. He looked at her again, only to find her eyes staring into his. Anything he was about to say died in his throat.

Suddenly, she shifted, and she was over him, and her lips descended on his. It was brief, but it conveyed all the emotions she needed it to. She smiled down at him, and he moved his hands to her waist, and wound them around her body, pulling her closer, and closer evermore…

Suddenly she was on him again, and she was all over. All he tasted was her sweet vanilla tongue, all he smelled was her shampoo, and all he felt was her skin. He was mesmerized. He felt lackadaisical. He would do anything she asked in that moment. She could tell him never to talk to him again, and he would walk right out of the door. He hated it, that she made him this way, but he didn't care, he couldn't. He was hers, all hers, and all he wanted was her.

His hands were hiked up under her shirt and they were quickly roaming all over the lengths of her soft flesh, remembering places they'd forgotten, memorizing her every curve, though he hoped he'd never forget what she felt like again.

A soft moan from her interrupted his mind, and every thought crashed together, a jumbled mess of nothing and everything.

She was kissing his neck and had a hand feeling his chest, the other going through his hair, gently tugging.

Her moan broke through to him, and he instantly sprung back to life. He growled and swiftly and carefully flipped her over. She let out a squeak of surprise, and he grinned down at her. He attacked her then.

He nipped at her neck and kissed all over it, leaving pink and red marks, but nothing more that would be visible to others. He wanted to mark her, to show everyone who's she was, but she would be too embarrassed.

In one moment her shirt was off and she was open to him. He paused and stared hungrily down at her before ducking down and leaving kisses all along her chest and ribs. He was biting and sucking on her soft flesh, leaving dark bruises, streaks of black and blue all along her body, and she was putty in his hands. She was writhing and whining and moaning his name, and he was short circuiting. The only thing on his mind that he registered was that her underwear needed to go, now.

"Not fair…" She mumbled, grabbing fistfuls of his hair and jerking his head up to hers. He growled lowly, but he loved the way she could get rough. He loved that he could completely destroy her and she would come back for more. His absolute favorite thing, however, is that she would never give herself up without a fight. Everything he dished out to her, she gave back twofold."Take if off." She demanded simply, tugging his shirt to emphasize her point. He nodded mutely, kneeling to slip it over his head, leaning back down to her. Her eyes roved his upper body, looking at every contour, every muscle, every scar. Her eyes went lower, before her hands slipped from his shoulders down to the waistband of his pants. His breath hitched. She yanked at his pants, looking him in the eyes, hands daring to go lower. He groaned through gritted teeth and wondered if it was really him who was ruining her.

"These too." She ordered. Her voice was a whisper, but it held so much power that Katsuki admired, and he never once thought about refusing her. In a minute, she was unfastening his button and zipper, and-

"Oh god, sorry!" A foreign voice yelled. Two heads snapped to the doorway, where light was flooding the room, and an embarrassed Mina was standing shock-still, mouth gaping.

Ochaco screamed right in Bakugou's ear, which caused him to cringe and fall backwards on the bed. In another instant, Ochaco was sitting up, and she pulled the blanket up from under him to cover her chest, causing him to crash to the floor.

"Oh, Katsuki, I'm so sorry! Are you oka-" Uraraka tried to ask, hastily bending forward, but still keeping the blanket tight around her body. She was quickly interrupted by a new face coming into her room.

"Is everyone okay?! I heard screams and-"

And, it was none other than Kirishima, who promptly stopped when he saw the scene. He then started laughing hysterically.

"Holy _shit!_ Mina, we gotta- Ashido, we gotta go!" He yelled in between laughing. He pulled her away by the arm, and she pulled the door closed behind them, not saying a word.

It was silent for a beat.

"I'm going to fucking kill them." Bakugou said simply. He was strangely calm, which Uraraka knew meant that he was in a rage.

"Sorry, Katsuki… I should have mentioned that Mina and Tsuyu have keys, obviously, but I thought they'd be too busy at the party…" She replied, looking down at her bed. He got up and stood, sighing.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Fucking cockblocks." He responded, groaning. She giggled.

"Come on, we should probably join everyone at the party." She suggested. He stared at her like she had gone insane.

"After that? No way. I can't face any of those fuckers after that. They'd be insufferable." He responded. She shook her head.

"Kirishima's got your back, so he'll probably make something up on the fly, and Mina will agree because she's too shocked and embarrassed to do anything else. It'll be fine." She responded, moving past him to pull out some party clothes. He huffed, pulling his shirt back on and fastening his pants.

"Just hurry up." He responded grumpily as she pulled on a short black pencil skirt on top of a red tanktop. She just rolled her eyes and went over to the shared closet to dig out some heels.

Soon, she had strapped on her red heels and they were ready to go. He looked at her, his heart in her eyes, and Ochaco had never felt more full.

/

Ochaco leapt into the arms of her parents with tears streaming down her face. She couldn't form words, and instead tried to talk between airy laughs and broken words.

"Baby girl, baby girl you did it!" Her mom said, starting to cry as well. Her dad hugged both of them tightly, kissing the top of his daughter's head.

"We are so proud of you, Ochaco." He said, entirely serious.

It was graduation day from UA, and everyone in Class 1A had passed. A picnic was set up for a few days from now, where they could all cry and hug and promise to keep in touch, but right now, Ochaco was focused on her parents.

She broke away from them and rubbed her eyes. She was trying to get ahold of herself to have a proper conversation, but it was so difficult. She was so happy.

"Mom, Dad, it's been… so great. Thank you for pushing me to follow my dreams. I've met so many wonderful people here, and I've made so many lasting memories. I have more friends than I've ever dreamt of having, and my boyfriend. I just… I owe it all to you guys. And now, I'm right on the path to becoming a certified Hero." She said, beaming at them both. Her mom screamed and took her into her arms once more, sobbing onto her daughter's shoulder, soaking her graduation gown. Her father smiled down at her, his aged face alight with nothing but elation.

"We pushed you, little duckling, but you did all of this yourself." He responded, to which her only response was to well up with tears. He ruffled her hair slightly and then rubbed his wife's back, while Ochako hugged her mother back tightly, absolutely losing it.

Ochaco would definitely consider herself blessed. She had loving parents to fall back on, and she had the best friends, and her boyfriend never faltering from her side. She had also grown into someone she was proud to be. She was happy, indescribably happy, and she felt that she would be for a long time.

Little did she know how truly right she was.

/

 **A/N: I really didn't know how to end this tbh. I feel like the ending was super weak for about 14,500 words of writing. But, whatever. I've always been bad with endings.**

 **I might wright up a few scenes here and there that I just didn't feel like writing this time around and stuffing into this one-shot (like the ramen therapy session with Izuku and Iida, the last party, the farewell picnic, maybe a future time lapse, etc). So, I guess look for those later on.**

 **I will probably definitely be doing something with Ochaco and Bakugou similar to my story "The Worst Guys" that I wrote for Fairy Tail. So keep a look out for other installments that I might post! I might post them attached to this story, or independently.**

 **Can I just say that I also really love everyone in this series? Aside from Mineta and Aoyama, who don't exist in this story, lol. I love class 1A's companionship and all of their interactions and just ugh. I'm so in love with this anime.**

 **And now, for the songs that I listened to while writing this, which gave me inspiration (or some of them anyway, since this one-shot took me actual weeks to finish, edit and revise):**

 **Song List:**

 ***Hunger – Sam Sure**

 ***No Fear – Dej Loaf**

 ***In the Name of Love – Martin Garrix**

 ***Someone Who Loves You- HONNE**

 ***Wild Thoughts – We & Us**

 ***The Best of Times? – Garden City Movement**

 ***Love Me Loud- Robin Schulz ft. Aleesia**

 ***Easily – Bruno Mars**

 ***The Worst – Jhene Aiko**

 ***You – 11:11**

 ***Drew Barrymore – SZA**

 ***Far Too Young To Die – Panic! At the Disco**

 ***Let Me Touch Your Fire – A**

 ***Cross My Mind – A**

 ***The End of All Things- Panic! At the Disco**

 ***Fall Harder – Skylar Spence**

 ***Impossible Year – Panic! At the Disco**

 ***Winter Bokeh – Idealism ft. Jinsang**

 ***When You Were Young – The Killers**

 **Not to mention, my entire playlist of lofi hip-hop jazz music. I have a Spotify, you can follow me on there if you want to get to know me better or just share music! PM me for it if you want!**

 **With love,**

 **littlebluewhalen**


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